Firing mechanism for breech-loading guns.



No. 788,432- PATENTED'APR. 25, 1905.

O. P. E. SCHNEIDER. FIRING. MECHANISM FOR BREEGH LOADING GUNS.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 30, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

PATENTED APR. 25, 1905.

0. P. E. SCHNEIDER. FIRING MECHANISM FOR BREBGH LOADING GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1903.

UNITED STATES Patented April 25, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

FIRING MECHANISM FOR BREECH-LOADING GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,432, dated April25, 1905. Application filed April 30, 1903- Serial No. 155,083-

"0 It]! whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES PROSPER EU- GENE SCHNEIDER, of Le Creuzot,Saone-et- Loire, in the Republic of France, haveinvented certain new anduseful Improvements Relating to the Firing Mechanism of Breech- LoadingGuns; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to firing mechanism for breech-loading guns ofthe kind that are provided with a breech screw rotatably mounted on aswinging carrier pivoted to the gun, and has for its object to provideasafety firing mechanism which cannot be operated to discharge the gununless the breech-block is closed and so turned as to fully lock it inthe breech.

The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a rear elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical section, of thebreech end of a gun with the breech closed and the partsin'firingposition. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section with the breech-screw unscrewedand ready to be withdrawn from the gun.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a suitable hand-lever, the singlemovement of which effects the turning of the breech-block 3 to unlock itfrom the gun and the swinging of the carrier4 around its pivot 2 to openthe breech. The breech-block 3 is slightly eccentric to the bore of thegun and is provided with a firing-pin opening 5, which when the block islocked in firing position is concentric with the guns bore, as shown inFig. 2, but which when the block is unscrewed and ready to be withdrawnfrom the breech, as shown in Fig. 3, is slightly eccentric to the boreof the gun. The breech-block may be mounted in any suitable way upon thecarrier, and as here shown it is supported upon an inwardly-projectinghub or boss 6, secured to the inner face of the carrier 4, and which, ifdesired, may be formed integrally with the carrier. Within this hub 6 isformed an axial bore which when the breech-block is closed is concentricwith the bore of the gun, and within the axial bore of the hub 6 ismounted the firing-pin, consisting of the body portion a and the nose orstriking part b, suitably articulated thereto, preferably by means of aspherical joint 0.

The body portion a is hollow, and the firing-- pin spring 0 is mountedwithin the hollow body a and reacts between said body and an abutment d,secured in the carrier. The breech-block is provided on its interiorrear surface with a helical or cam surface 6, and the firing-pin body ais provided with ashoulderf, projecting to the rear of the helicalsurface 6 of the breech-block. When the gun has been fired, the shoulderf on the firingpin body rests against the helical surface (2 upon thebreech-block, and in the act of unscrewing the block to open the breechthe surface 6 acts to force back the firing-pin against the tension ofits spring 0. Mounted in the carrier is a transverse sear g, providedwith a sear-spring it, which normally forces the sear into position toengage a shoulder 2' on the body of the firing-pin just as thebreech-block has been unscrewed. Thesear may be actuated by hand to freethe firingpin or may be operated through the medium of apush-rod 7c,actuated by the aid of a transmission or firing rodZ under the controlof the gunner.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the firing-pin is alwayssupported by the carrier in the axis of the gun when the breech-block isinserted within the breech, but that owing to the eccentric mounting ofthe breech-block the firing-pin cannot be actuated to discharge the gununless the breech-block is turned to its fully-locked position, at whichtime the recess or opening 5 in the block also comes into line with theaxis of the gun and the firing-pin supported by the carrier.

Assuming the gun to have been fired, in the operation of opening thebreech the breechblock is turned on its axis by the first movement ofthe handle 1, and this turning movement of the breech-block acts tosimultaneously withdraw the firing-pin and to shift the firing-pinopening or recess 5 out of the axial line of the gun, so that by thetime the breechblock has reached its fully unlocked or unscrewedposition, as shown in Fig. 3, it is held in this position by theengagement of the sear g with the shoulder 2' on the firing-pin, eventhough the breech-block be again turned to locking position, at whichtime the firing-pin opening 5 will again come into alinement with thefiring-pin. Should the sear, however, be-

' come disengaged from the sear-shoulder d on the firing-pin at any timewhen the breechblock was not fully locked the helical surface 0 of thebreech-block would be engaged by the shoulder f on the firing-pin andprevent the latter from moving forward far enough to strike the primerof the cartridge, which latter action would also be rendered impossibleby reason of the fact that the firing-pin opening or recess 5 would beout of alinement ith the firing-pin. The safety of the firing mechanismis therefore doubly assured by reason of the fact that the block isnever in position to permit the firing-pin to move forward unless theblock is fully locked, and if by any accident the shoulder f on thefiringpin should break or otherwise fail to act and permit thefiring-pin to reach its foremost position before the breech block wasfully 'screwed home the cartridge would not be discharged, because thefiring-pin recess 5 would not be over the primer.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. In abreech-loading gun, the combination of a breech-block revolubleeccentrically in the gun-breech, a carrier supporting said block, and ajointed firing-pin supported by the carrier in the guns axis.

2. In a breech-loading gun, the combination of a revoluble breech-blockhaving an opening therethrough eccentric to the axis of said block andin the guns axis when the block is looked, a carrier also having anopening in the line of the guns axis when the block is inserted in thebreech, and a jointed firing-pin moving in said openings to dischargethe gun.

3. In a breech-loading gun, the combination of aneccentrically-revoluble breech-block having an opening therethrough inthe guns axis when the block is locked, a carrier also having an openingin the line of the guns axis when the block is. inserted in the breech,and a jointed firing-pin supported in the opening in the carrier andhaving its nose projecting into the opening in the block.

4. In a breech-loading gun, the combination of aswinging breech-blockcarrier having an opening concentric with the guns bore when the carrieris closed against the breech, a breech-block rotatably mounted on thecarrier eccentrically to the breech and provided with a helicalrearwardly-inclined surface, and a jointed firing-pin mounted in theopening in the carrier and provided with a shoulder projecting to therear of the said helical surface.

5. In a breech-loading gun, the combination of a breech-block revolubleeccentrically in the gun-breech, a carrier supporting said block, afiring-pin supported by the carrier in the guns axis, said breech-blockbeing provided with a helical rearWardly-inclined surface, a shoulder onsaid firing-pin for engaging said inclined surface whereby the firingpinmay be cocked and a nose-piece articulated to said firing-pin.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES PROSPER EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses:

EDMOND BLAISE, JEAN (JrAME'r.

